First and foremost, Kaizer Chiefs would like to commend Bloemfontein Celtic for the manner in which they responded to the tragedy that befell one of their fans last week.

For whatever ill-conceived reason, the writer of your recently published article relating to that issue chose to point fingers at other clubs, ourselves included, for lacking similar empathy for their own followers.

Contrary to the accusatory tone of the newspaper article, the importance of the millions of Amakhosi faithful to Kaizer Chiefs can never be overstated. We appreciate that our fans are the life blood of the club. Many of them spend their hard earned money and travel long distances to support the team and we recognise and appreciate their value far more than what is known in the public domain.

Being more than a football club - Chiefs is a national institution - we are patently aware of our standing in the broader context of South African society and have never shirked from assisting both individuals and communities where it is deemed necessary and appropriate. However, we prefer to perform our acts of benevolence privately and eschew the notion of crassly capitalising on the publicity it would generate in the media.

Perhaps this is why the writer ignorantly indicted Chiefs for what he apparently perceived as a deficiency of concern for the Amakhosi fan who also lost his life in tragic circumstances in Port Elizabeth after travelling from Cape Town to celebrate our league title last season. The truth is, Kaizer Chiefs dealt more than adequately with the matter but chose to do so with discretion as a gesture of respect to the man’s bereaved family, away from the public gaze.

This is how we operate as a club and we shall continue to conduct our private affairs as such. It would be advisable going forward for your journalists to desist from making wildly fantastical accusations against us without having the slightest factual validation to back them up or contacting us for comment.